Update on Tropicana Park

Thank you all for responding to my request for your thoughts on Tropicana Neighborhood Park. As a reminder, the City plans to lease property on Tropicana Neighborhood Park to the South Florida Canoe Kayak Club and the Caloosa Coast Rowing Club. Both clubs are private entities and are not Parks and Recreation functions.

There are five areas of concern that were raised due to the lack of disclosure of the city's plans for the park.

Lack of Transparency - Plans to locate the clubs on Tropicana Neighborhood Park were not disclosed to the public until late November, two months after the public input meetings

Safety – The clubs and power boats will use the North Spreader Waterway simultaneously, close to several blind S-curves. Discussions have taken place regarding safety for the South Florida Canoe Kayak Club, but work does need to be done to ensure safety for all boaters when the Caloosa Coast Rowing Club and other competitive paddlers use the waterway.

Limiting Access – Residents may not have access to the portion of the park leased to the clubs. Access to the North Spreader Waterway may be restricted when competitive events are held.

Quality of Life – For an unknown reason, the City chose not to disclose the true plans for the park until it was too late to act.

Use of Funds – We question the authority of the City to use GO Bond Funds to develop the park in a manner that benefits a private club(s). These concerns remain because of a lack of public input on the plans and inadequate timing for the residents to voice their concerns between the time the plans were revealed and the date of the City Council meeting where park plans were approved.

The date for the City Council Meeting to discuss the lease is tentatively set for January 6, 2020. I will keep you posted. Your presence at the meeting is important, so wear your NWNA T-Shirts if you have one, and express your position by speaking during Citizens Input.